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"Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing" as sax star pairs
legend with soul and gospel greats

Dave Koz & Friends
Chicago Theatre
Chicago, IL
December 11, 2016

Dave Koz & Friends

Story and photos by Andy Argyrakis

At 19 years into its annual holiday touring tradition, Dave Koz has the tricky task of retaining traditional elements of his snazzy show, while keeping audiences engaged with fresh line-ups and song selections. From the tried and true category, longtime touring pal/soulful gospel great Jonathan Butler returned to the fold on acoustic guitar and vocals, while fellow soul man Kenny Lattimore and living legend Valerie Simpson (from Ashford & Simpson) jumped on board for the first time.

Together, the troupe kicked off the two act evening at the ornate Chicago Theatre with Stevie Wonder's "Someday At Christmas" before diving into a monster Yuletide melody that reflected so many emotions surrounding the most wonderful time of the year. From there, everyone rotated between solo selections and unique collaborations comprised of not only seasonal sounds, but also non-holiday hits and covers spanning more than half a century.

Lattimore let loose with his rich vocal delivery throughout "I'll Be Home For Christmas" and "For You," Koz and Simpson conquered "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "Angels We Have Heard On High," while Butler turned Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" into an anthem of self-assurance. The foursome also brought down the house with a medley of Simpson's co-written classics, including "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing," "You're All I Need To Get By" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," all of which confirmed Chicago was truly in the presence of royalty.

The tag teaming trend continued during an acoustic set centered around other heroic songwriters, starting with Lattimore's lead on Leonard Cohen's chilling "Hallelujah," Koz crooning The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" as Butler strummed along and Simpson digging into Billie Holiday's "God Bless The Child." Butler further ushered everyone into the spirit via his annual showstopper "O Holy Night," while Koz got comical inserting a bit of Adam Sandler's "The Chanukah Song" prior to his funky original "Eight Candles (A Song for Hanukkah)."

For the home stretch, Simpson demonstrated additional vocal strength and personal resilience with "Solid," Butler tried out the joyous current cut "Never Find A Better Love," Koz gave an ultra-smooth rendition of "Silver Lining" and Lattimore returned to join everyone on Jackie Wilson's "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher." However, it was an encore of the Simpson's personally-penned "Reach Out & Touch (Somebody's Hand)" that had the entire audience swaying arm in arm, which despite not being a Christmas song specifically, proclaimed the season's ultimate message of peace perhaps more than any other from Koz & Friends' latest inspirational undertaking.